Assessment Resource Room

Among the public’s many expectations of higher education, the most basic is that students will learn, and in particular, that they will learn what they need to know to attain personal success and fulfill their public responsibilities in a global and diverse society. Student learning is central to all higher  education organizations; therefore, these organizations define educational quality--one of their core purposes--by how well they achieve their declared mission relative to student learning. A focus on achieved student learning is critical not only to a higher education organization’s ability to promote   and improve curricular and co-curricular learning experiences and to provide evidence of the quality of educational experiences and programs, but also to fulfill the most basic public expectations and needs of higher education. 

What is assessment of student learning?

1. Deciding what we want our students to learn upon completing a given course or program
2. Making sure students have multiple opportunities to learn and practice key learning outcomes
3. Asking students to demonstrate what they have learned through course-embedded assignments
4. Evaluating the extent to which students have achieved the desired learning outcomes
5. Using assessment results to confirm or improve student learning (“closing the loop”)
6. Documenting and communicating results, conclusions, and next steps on an annual basis